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Semper Fi – Finally

A Marine silent no longer on gay marriage
by Roger Dean Huffstetler
3 April 2014 in The Washington Post

Roger Dean Huffstetler is a former Marine Corps sergeant, and this is his powerful op-ed in yesterday’s Washington Post. But they got the title wrong. His point goes so far beyond marriage (as important as that is) to the question of Am I the person I believe myself to be? – and What can I do if I find out I’m not?

“…I had always imagined that if I’d lived in the time of segregation and the civil rights movement, I would be the white Southerner who was proud to march with the NAACP — that I would tear down bigoted beliefs and demand equality for all, even putting myself at risk if need be.

But I didn’t do those things.”

I think a better title for this piece would be, It’s Never Too Late To Become Who You Are. The author did. And this is very much worth your time:

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3 comments

I just read this piece again. You are right, they missed the whole point in the title. It should read “It is never too late to make amends and be on the right side of history”.

I love that a straight man would be so thoughtful, so self reflective of his own life, to realize what he has done with his silence and choose to fix it. It makes me want to figure out what I am silently “going along with” that I need to change as well. It is good to be reminded.

My interior landscape is a complex garden, much is in the sun and yet there are bits still shaded and unexplored. This article reminded me to be more interested in the bits in shade. What is in there? Is it who I want to be?

I love this series Steve, I hope you continue to write and explore and share the world well beyond 100 days of happiness.

I’m glad this resonated with you, Ty. I’ve also read it several times; it is surprising and refreshing. As for your inner garden – that is a wonderland! You should give tours. 🙂

It’s funny, I did originally have this as a #100happydays post… but it seemed bigger than that. And it is.

The #100happydays project ends in a couple of weeks. What I’ve loved about doing these posts is that it has taught me to recognize, or seek out, a daily source of the happy. It’s too easy to miss the good stuff in our day-to-day routines. Or, we notice them and almost instantly forget. Even better than looking for a daily smile, this exercise has taught me to anticipate it.

If it’s true that we don’t get what we don’t ask for, then I’ve learned how to ask for a little bit of happiness, every single day. And I get it. And I try to give it back. I’ll keep sharing those every now and then.